need someone to go into more detail and apply this. Paper should be single space, 2 pages long, APA references.

The Polluter’s Dilemma

Southern Oregon University

Brianne Griffith

MBA 512: Legal & Ethical Issues in Business & Management

Professor Ryan Pittman, esq.

October 30th, 2022

The Polluter’s Dilemma

Introduction

Jonica, I received your request seeking advice and instruction on the dilemma you face on whether or not to spend money to purchase the new technology that will help reduce specific toxin levels in the wastewater flowing from the factory to the lake. From the facts I gathered in your communication, the dilemma arises from the tight environmental compliance budget; hence, despite the case for making the purchase, the move may jeopardize the department and the company’s chances of making profits. I recommend purchasing the toxin reduction technology to ensure legal and ethical compliance and benefit the company in the long run.

Legal and Ethical Compliance

I recommend investing in toxin reduction technology to ensure legal and ethical compliance. Although the factory’s emission levels are within the legal bounds, it is due to a lag in scientific evidence concerning environmental regulations for the specific toxin. Subsequently, the situation elicits legal and ethical compliance questions. Mayer et al. (2012) posit that although the law does not impose a duty of care that would otherwise ensure everybody is their brother’s keeper, the law demands careful action whenever the choice is to act. The company is already performing its duty in handling the pollution it causes; avoiding acting on the mentioned knowledge denotes negligence. Perhaps one ideal legal school of thought that applies to the situation is the natural law which emphasizes basing law on a universal moral order (Lieberman et al., 2016). Avoiding purchasing the new technology cushioned by the knowledge about lagging environmental regulations for the specific toxin emitted by the company is morally wrong. Therefore, the company should purchase the new technology, given it is legally and ethically correct.

Investment

Besides, the investment will benefit the company in the long run as a corporate social responsibility measure. The pollution caused by the company is a massive threat to the immediate community, as identified by the expert cautioning potential for declaration of unsafety for the fish in the rivers and lakes in the area for human consumption subject to the toxin levels. As a company that contributes to the toxicity through the specific toxin in the wastewater that flows from the factory into a lake, it is only fitting to handle the pollution as corporate social responsibility effectively. In the short run, the company may register losses by undertaking the investment; however, it would guarantee sustainable profits for the long run. According to Brusseau (2011), corporate social responsibility benefits businesses in the long run due to positive perceptions created by customers by undertaking such actions. The potential for public opinion to pressure the government into forcing firms to begin using the new technology and further costly and restrictive measures. It shows the need to purchase the new technology before being mandated by the government with the action surmounting corporate social responsibility standing to benefit the company in the long run.

Conclusion

For the sake of legal and ethical considerations and focusing on sustainable operations (profits) as opposed to the short run, I recommend purchasing the new technology to mitigate the toxin levels produced by the company. The company’s future highly depends on the action that the firm can treat as a long-term investment. Such an act will also encourage other companies to undertake similar steps, leading to extensive benefits for the market.

References

Brusseau, J. (2011). The Business Ethics Workshop, v. 1.0. Flat World Knowledge.

Lieberman, J., Siedel, G., Warner, D., & Mayer, D. (2016). Foundations of Business Law and the Legal Environment.

Mayer, D., Warner, D., & Siedel, G. (2012). Advanced Business Law and the Legal Environment. The Saylor Foundation.